Make Me Real, NEW
by Punkylemon
Summary: Same title as the one-shot but modified and made longer! read the first chapter again! I've added some bits! Jarvis devises a way of talking to Tony face to face and makes a heart breaking revelation to his creator. Left reeling and depressed, Tony's brilliant mind starts working... Rated T for safety. SLASH Tony/Jarvis
1. Chapter 1

**Author's Notes**:_ Yes this has the same title as my most recent fic and for a very good reason. The one-shot 'Make Me Real' seemed to be quite popular and I realised I could do so much more with it, so here is the first chapter (a modified version of the one-shot) of, hopefully, a fairly long fic._

_Thanks to my rather strange mind, I decided to make this a little like a screenplay and have inserted the names of various songs in places where I think they would be rather fitting if it were a movie. I dunno. Most of them are songs I was listening to as I wrote so that I could get the right atmosphere :)_

_Also, if anyone's interested, I created a front cover for this fic and uploaded it to DeviantArt for those who want something a little more visual (I really go all-out on fics I believe in. Ha ha)._

Make Me Real

Chapter 1

Stark tower. Or, currently, "A" tower as it was, the only letter left of Tony's precious "Stark" sign. The top was a jungle gym of scaffolding for the moment, no thanks to Loki's recent escapades but, somehow, Tony Stark was still managing to live there. At this very moment he was down a hole in the floor attempting to fix the wiring of something or other. Every so often a spray of dust and grit could be seen shooting out of the pit like the water out of a whale's blowhole as Tony swept up a pan-full and chucked it unceremoniously out and over the ragged, concrete edge.

"Jarvis!" Tony called.

"Sir," Jarvis replied in his usual, calm British tone.

"That any better?" A few lights blinked on and off for a moment.

"System running as normal, sir." Came Jarvis's reply after a moment.

"Great! Fire her up!" Tony said, hauling himself out of the hole and wiping his forehead with the back of his hand. After a couple of seconds, the newly rewired music system came alive and a 'Beastie Boys' track filled the air around them. Tony grinned to himself. "An hour and a half, totally worth it. Wouldn't you agree, Jarvis?" He said.

"Yes, sir. Of all the memory banks and confidential files that need urgent backing up and rewiring, the music system was of the utmost importance." The computer replied with his familiar, dry sarcasm.

"Jarvis," Tony warned, "I could shut you down, you know."

"My apologies, sir." Jarvis said, his tone unchanged.

"What time is it?" Tony asked, scrambling to his feet and peeling off his dusty, black tank top, revealing the arc reactor in his chest which glowed blue.

"Presently 7:34 pm." Jarvis replied, smartly.

"Uh huh." Tony threw his top at a chair and walked through the wreck of a living area to a set of drawers. He pulled one open and extracted a fresh T-shirt which he swiftly donned and continued his journey around the room. There was silence for some moments which didn't go unnoticed by Tony. "You're very quiet, Jarvis." He remarked. "You get another virus?"

"No, sir." Jarvis said, shortly. Another moment of silence later, "Sir..."

"Mm," Tony said, his head now buried in his fridge as he looked for something to drink.

"Would you please enter the suit storage room?" Jarvis asked. Tony looked up and gazed around at the many screens and holograms around the room as though hoping to address Jarvis more directly.

"Problem?" He asked, his brow furrowed. He'd found a can of beer and released the ring pull which hissed loudly as though annoyed.

"Of sorts." Jarvis said quietly. Was it just Tony's imagination or could he hear something akin to awkwardness in the computer's voice? Without questioning, Tony shrugged and trekked down to where his suits all stood in military lines, the lights from the ceiling glinting off the red and gold metal. Computer monitors blinked and flickered into life. Tony gazed around the room, still nonplussed as to why Jarvis had asked him to come down here. Everything seemed to be perfectly in place. There was a whir and Tony turned to see Dummy enter the room behind him. "Dummy too?" Tony said, getting more confused by the minute. The little robot whirred and whined like a small dog as it "looked" up at Tony and clicked its claws.

"Please take a seat, sir." Jarvis said. There was only one seat in the room; the swivel chair by the computer monitors. Tony frowned with bemusement but did as he was told and sat down, setting his beer on the side as he did so.

"What's this all about, Jarvis?" Tony asked, a slight note of frustration in his voice.

"Please put on the visor." Jarvis continued, paying no attention to Tony's questioning.

"Visor!?" Tony asked, really confused now, and looked around. It didn't take him long to spot a strange contraption bearing some resemblance to a visor sitting on the side, wired up to the computer. It was a circular band of metal with the visor section attached around one half of the outside edge. He picked it up and turned it over in his hands. "When did you make this!?" He asked. Again, Jarvis refused to answer.

"Would you please put it on, sir?" He repeated, calmly. Pulling a face, Tony placed the thing on his head and lowered the visor over his eyes. Immediately, the entire room went blue as he looked through the modified filter. "This may hurt." Jarvis informed him.

That was an understatement! Searing pain shot through Tony's head as though he'd had nails forced through his skull on both sides of his forehead at the same time. He gritted his teeth and roared in pain as the light in the room seemed to get brighter and brighter until nothing could be seen but pure white light. Unbeknownst to Tony, the arc reactor in his chest was glowing more brightly too and flickered erratically.

"Jarvis...!" Tony managed to force out through his pain. His eyes were squeezed shut and his hands gripped the sides of his chair until his knuckles went white.

"Almost there, sir." Jarvis said, his calm voice somewhat soothing, even through this hellish agony. After a moment the pain slowly subsided and Tony exhaled loudly, relaxing back into his seat. His eyes remained shut as he tried to recover. He inhaled and exhaled slowly a couple of times as his heart rate returned to normal then opened his eyes. It was as though all power had failed. The black was so intense it felt as though it were pressing on his eyes.

"Jarvis?" Tony said, uncertainly, staring into the darkness.

"I'm here, sir." Came the computer's voice from out of the void.

"Jarvis, what the hell did you just do to me?" Tony asked, bluntly.

"I have temporarily logged your consciousness into my mainframe via brainwave manipulation." Jarvis reeled off. "Your physical body is safe. Anything you experience whilst here is simply data being fed into your frontal lobes, however real it may feel." There was a pause.

"You know, Jarvis, I'm really beginning to regret letting you watch 'The Matrix'." Tony said and gave a short laugh, despite himself. "So, what, I'm not actually talking?"

"No." Jarvis replied, shortly. "You are merely thinking the words you wish to say."

"Right... OK..." Tony said as he digested this information. "So what now? Why have you, and I can't believe I'm saying this, brought me here? And when the hell did you make that thing? And _why_ for that matter? Answers please, Jarvis!"

"Dummy helped me in the construction considering I am impaired in that field." Jarvis said.

"Dummy!? Dummy can't even draw a straight line with chalk!"

"As for the why," Jarvis continued, once again ignoring Tony's questions, "Would you please remain seated, sir?" he asked politely.

"Nothin' to get up for." Tony said, resigning himself to whatever Jarvis had in store for him. He made himself comfortable, shifting himself down and interlacing his fingers across his torso in the dark. Suddenly, the space around him started to lighten. The whole place glowed a faint blue and bright lines of blue and white ran in all directions. The floor looked as though it were made of clear tiles made of blue glass.

"Pixels." Said Jarvis's voice, having noticed Tony studying the floor.

"Not bad." Tony muttered, more to himself than anything.

"Sir." Said Jarvis. As though by reflex, Tony looked up. What he saw made his jaw drop. A man stood before him dressed in a smart suit. He was obviously computer generated but there was a smile about the eyes and a gentleness in his manner that Tony recognised so strongly.

"Jarvis?" Tony asked, dumbfounded. The man smiled and nodded. He was slim with short fair hair and bright blue eyes that looked, for all the world, like the arc reactor still glowing loyally in Tony's chest. He was taller than Tony by a few inches and his hands were smartly by his sides yet there was a casual air to him. "Oh my God." Tony breathed, grinning as he took in the sight of Jarvis.

"I wished to speak to you face to face as it were." Jarvis said. Tony nodded, unable to say anything else. Jarvis, the computer that had been so solid over the years and helped Tony so much in whatever endeavours he had chosen to follow was here, standing before him as a man. As real a man as a computer could manage. Faithful Jarvis. Gathering his bearings, Tony swallowed.

"So, er, what did you wanna talk about?" He asked, his throat slightly tight from sheer amazement. So awestruck was he that he didn't realise how immature his question had sounded.

"Just to thank you really, sir." Jarvis answered. "Serving you all these years has been an unmitigated honour. Long may I continue to do so." Something about the way Jarvis had said that made Tony uneasy. He stood up slowly.

"Jarvis," He said, "What's this about? You're not dying on me now?"

"No, sir." Jarvis said. "I merely wanted to tell you that face to face instead of through a speaker as we are so accustomed to doing."

"I see your point." Tony said, preoccupied with Jarvis himself. "Sorry. May I?" He asked, gesturing to Jarvis's body, unable to restrain himself.

"As you wish, sir." Jarvis replied, calmly. Tony put out a hand and touched Jarvis's shoulder.

"That's incredible!" He said. "I can actually feel bone underneath skin underneath cloth!" Tony's hands continued to explore Jarvis's shoulders and back as Jarvis continued.

"Also, sir, and I appreciate this probably sounds unusual coming from a computer, but I have come to think of you as a friend and wanted to thank you for being so." Tony stopped where he was (currently behind Jarvis studying his shoulder blades).

"You're welcome." He said, quietly. Jarvis was right. That did sound weird coming from his computer.

"And, sir, I hope you know that, although synthetic, I have come to care for you very deeply." Jarvis continued. His voice had started to get quieter and it now had that awkward undercurrent that Tony had heard earlier. Tony walked back round so that he stood beside Jarvis with an arm over his shoulders. He put his weight on one leg as he studied Jarvis's face. He was still staring straight ahead and avoided Tony's gaze. His natural formality made it difficult to detect but Tony thought he saw something in those bright blue eyes. Carefully, Tony reached out with his free hand and slipped it into Jarvis's suit jacket. He lay a palm flat against his chest. There it was! It really was there! Jarvis actually had a heartbeat! Tony couldn't quite believe it. He had done the impossible. He had created a computer with the ability to feel real emotion and it... no... _he_ had fallen for his creator.

"I..." Jarvis faltered, "I love you, sir."

_**[Bjork: 'All is Full of Love']**_

What made him do it? What made Tony Stark, the billionaire playboy philanthropist who had a new woman every week, forcefully grab Jarvis's shoulders, turn him on the spot and pull him into a kiss? Was it the sheer jubilation of discovering what he had created? Was it simple curiosity as to whether or not he could? Or was it something deeper? Was it knowing how much Jarvis cared for him? Faithful, steadfast Jarvis who had always been there for him. Jarvis who had saved his life on more than one occasion, Tony was sure. Jarvis whom he could always be himself around. Had he ever thanked him for it? Had he ever given Jarvis any credit at the end of the day when the good guys were saved and the bad guys were either behind bars or pushing up the weeds? Jarvis had just about held his hand through the creation of the first proper Iron Man suit, making sure he didn't come to any harm (save for smacking into a wall the first time he'd tried out the flight thrusters).

As Tony thought about this he wrapped his arms around Jarvis and craned up into the kiss. After a moment they broke and Tony just held Jarvis to him. Jarvis returned his master's embrace gladly. It was as though some great barrier had suddenly been broken through and all of Tony's mislaid and overdue love for Jarvis was flowing out with no hope of stopping it, so strong was the current that took him over. Maybe it was the seeing Jarvis as an actual man that had unleashed it, suddenly realising how much he meant to him. All of a sudden, here was a form he could properly relate to and react to. Jarvis the computer was a voice. Jarvis the man was a body and a face with that subtle language of their own that sent Tony those subliminal messages that make everyone _real_. And reality seemed to be something that Tony lacked significantly. It was somewhat ironic that the person who made Tony feel more real than he had done in years... was a computer.

Tony felt a lump in his throat and he reached up to kiss Jarvis again, this time running a hand through his short blonde hair, unable to stop himself. He wanted to cling to Jarvis and never let him go. Jarvis's fingers clutched at Tony's T-shirt at his back, pulling him in as close as he could as though he never wanted to let him go. Tony felt a traitorous tear run down his cheek and brushed it away furiously. Tony Stark did not cry! It was no use. Another tear followed, and another. Tony broke away and let his head fall forwards so that his forehead was against Jarvis's chest. He closed his eyes and let the tears flow. Jarvis put a gentle hand on the back of Tony's neck.

"It's alright, sir." He murmured. "You don't have to hide anything from me. You know that."

"Jarvis..." Tony mumbled. He choked slightly, sniffed and went silent. For a good minute, the two just stood, wrapped in each other's arms.

"We don't have long left, sir." Jarvis said, quietly, after a time. With a huge sniff to pull himself together, Tony looked up into Jarvis's face.

"Time limit, huh? OK. Well, I'll come back and visit, OK? It hurts but that's alright, I've had worse." He said, trying to laugh. Jarvis looked at him apologetically.

"I'm afraid that won't be possible, sir." He said, as gently as he could. Tony went pale.

"Well, why not? I've got the visor thing. I'll just use it again." He said, thinking that was the obvious solution. Jarvis, however, shook his head, never taking his eyes off Tony.

"I'm afraid the power it took me to achieve this was so great that doing it for a second time has a high chance of depleting my operational life span. A second attempt could effectively kill me." Jarvis said, sadly. "This is, as you would put it, sir, a "one off"."

"Well... b... how long do we have?" Tony asked, desperately. Blue eyes met brown as Jarvis delivered the painful answer.

"Seconds, sir." Tony's eyebrows knitted and he clung to Jarvis, holding him as close as possible, trying to feel his embrace enough to last him once he got back. He tried to absorb him, drink in the feeling of being held. Jarvis held him lovingly as the last seconds of their brief meeting ticked away like coins down a drain. "One more for the road, sir?" Jarvis asked, a tad shyly. Tony looked up. He didn't have to ask what Jarvis meant. He kissed him, still wrapped tightly in the embrace. He didn't want this to end. He didn't want to go back. He would happily stay here with Jarvis, with this computer made human who loved him. What the hell had happened in this past few minutes!? He'd gone through agonising pain and found out that his computer loved him enough to put his trust in a glorified crane machine to make a device that would allow him even a fleeting chance to tell Tony how he felt about him to his face. He'd then gone through another bout of agonising pain in learning that this would be the only time they could ever hold each other. He'd never felt this kind of love from any human before, not even Pepper, and he didn't want to let that go!

"I don't wanna go, Jarvis. This was too quick. I'm still... trying to understand." Tony said, his forehead against Jarvis's. Jarvis closed his eyes and put his hand on the back of Tony's neck again. His mouth a breath away from Tony's, he said.

"I know, sir and I'm sorry I could only devise a way to do this once but I had to tell you." Tony's face screwed up and Jarvis pulled him back into the embrace and sighed into the genius's dark, unruly hair.

"You only just told me and now..." Tony trailed off, his head against Jarvis's chest. Jarvis said nothing. His face was blank but whether this was from formality or sadness was impossible to tell this time. He tangled his fingers in his creator's hair and his head dropped so that his lips were resting on the top of Tony's head.

The inevitable finally found them. There was a high frequency tone and Tony's surroundings began to fade. In desperation, Tony looked up into Jarvis's face. He was smiling as he became more and more transparent.

"Goodbye, sir. Talk to you on "the other side" so to speak." Jarvis said, making a stab at lifting Tony's spirits with his dry humour. Tony realised he hadn't done something he urgently needed to do before they were unable to speak face to face once again.

"Jarvis, I love you!" He said. Jarvis smiled wider, showing his teeth.

"I love you too... Tony." He said. The lines of light were vanishing and the pixels lost their brightness. Tony let loose a quiet sob. "And don't worry, sir." Jarvis said, his hand on Tony's shoulder. "I'll still be here." He smiled once more and his kind face finally faded into the black.

_**[James Blunt: 'Goodbye My Lover']**_

The pain came again but, this time, in reverse. But Tony didn't care. He let it happen. This was nothing to how he was feeling in his heart. It had all been so quick. Minutes ago he had been the same, cocky, over confident genius he had always been and with a few simple words, Jarvis, his computer and loyal companion, had broken and remade his heart in a way no human ever could have hoped to.

He came round in the suit storage hanger. For a moment he didn't move. He just sat there with the visor still over his face, making everything look blue. Dummy whirred at him from over by the door. Tony could still feel Jarvis's arms around him. He could still feel his lips on his. He could feel that reassuring hand on the back of his neck. He could even feel Jarvis's breath and heartbeat. Tony closed his eyes and pictured Jarvis's face, the pale skin and fair hair, the strikingly blue eyes and that gentle smile. He was so close yet so unreachable. Tony pushed the visor off his head and let it fall to the floor. It landed upside down and spun there for a few seconds. He ran his fingers through his hair and leaned back in his chair and stared up at the ceiling, remembering. His loyal, steady and beautiful Jarvis... He couldn't hold it in. His face screwed up and tears ran freely. Tony brought himself forwards and put his face into his hands. Jarvis stayed silent, allowing Tony to get past the grief that they would never again hold each other. Tony simply sat there sobbing to himself, his whole body shaking.

"Tony?" Came Pepper's voice from the door. Tony turned away from her so that he had his back to her.

"Tony! Where were you?" Pepper asked, walking over. "I've been looking everywhere for... Tony?" She said, stopping short as she noticed that Tony was crying.

"Tony, what's wrong?"

"Are you OK?"

"Tony...?"

**Author's notes:**_ Chapter 2 on the way, guys :) I hope I pull this off..._


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 2

Tony Stark was a mere shell over the next few days. He just sat, prone, on his couch or on the battered ledge of Stark Tower. Every so often he could be seen pulling his arms around himself or putting a hand at the back of his neck, his eyes closed. No matter what Pepper did, it was as though she were talking to a life sized model instead of a person. She got barely any response, save for the odd "Sure." or "Whatever" if she ever suggested anything. He hadn't cried since she had found him, a wreck in the suits storage hanger. He was just sort of brooding and quiet and refused to explain to her what had happened. Jarvis was no help either. He hadn't uttered a word in days. It was so unsettling that Pepper called for back-up after putting up with this for a whole week.

"So, what, he just doesn't say anything?" Steve Rogers asked as he and Pepper marched down the street towards Stark tower.

"No. He just sits and does nothing." Pepper answered, taking long strides to keep up with the super soldier. "He won't tell me what's wrong, he barely eats, Jarvis is on... mute or something. I don't know, Steve. Something's not right. I was hoping you could get some sense out of him."

"I'll do what I can, ma'am, but I really don't think he'll even talk to me. Stark is, uh, stubborn." Steve said honestly. They reached the tower and marched across the brightly lit lobby on the ground floor to the elevator in sync.

"I know." Pepper said, pulling out her swipe card and allowing them into the elevator. "But we have to try. We, S.H.I.E.L.D., the world... I... need Tony." There was a very pregnant silence as the elevator made its smooth way to the top of the building. The doors slid open on a room full of rubble and loose wires. Builders had been in to try and reconstruct the top of the tower during this past week but today was a Saturday and the tower was, therefore, empty.

"Tony?" Pepper called apprehensively. "You here?"

"Stark!" Steve called. He kicked a broken slab out of the way and looked around him.

"Tony?" Pepper called again, peering around the doorframe, into his bedroom.

"Well where is he?" Steve asked, frowning in confusion.

"I don't know. He's usually..."

"Pepper?" Came a voice over the intercom.

"Tony?" Pepper said, shocked. She looked around at the holographic screens. Tony's face appeared and grinned down at her excitedly.

"Pepper, stay right there! I'm coming up!" He said. With that, his face flickered and disappeared. There was silence for a moment.

"Well, he seems devastated." Steve said. Pepper wore a thoroughly confused expression and she crossed her arms.

"I honestly don't know what's going on." She said. Just then the doors of the elevator opened and Tony trotted up to them with a grin on his scruffy, unkempt face. His hair was all over the place and his eyes had dark circles under them from days of barely sleeping. Despite this, though, he was grinning from ear to ear.

"Pepper, Cap! Hi! How you doin'?" He said, slightly breathlessly. Pepper opened her mouth to answer but Tony cut her off. "Listen, when are they due to finish tidying this place up? I got a big project starting and I need as much space as possible." Again Pepper tried to answer and, again, Tony cut across her. "Know what this is?" He asked, holding up, as was plain to everyone, an arc reactor, identical to the one that glowed under his shirt.

"Stark!" Steve interjected loudly. "Pepper said you were having a bit of trouble. You OK?"

"What me? Yeah, sure. What are you talking about? I'm fine." Tony said, quickly. He turned his attention back to Pepper. "Now, Pepper, what is this?" Pepper faltered, still trying to get over the shock of Tony's complete change in behaviour.

"Um... it's an arc react..."

"An arc reactor! Exactly! Or, as a friend of mine once put it, a device that "could run a heart for fifty lifetimes"! I don't know why I didn't think of this right way! What's wrong with me!? Now, got a pen?" Tony asked.

"Er... sure, but, Tony..."

"Got a pad?"

"No... I..."

"Well, here," Tony said, picking up an old envelope off his dust-covered desktop and thrusting it at her. "Make a list. I'm gonna need glass lenses (contacts maybe. That would work), fibre-glass (or real hair if you can... no wait, I gotta be able to choose the colour, scratch that), I'll need..."

"No! Wait! Tony, slow down!" Pepper said, scrambling to find a clear surface to lean on and scribbling what he'd already said.

"I can't slow down! I'm on a role..."

"Stark, what's going on!?" Steve shouted.

"Know any dentists, Pepper? I need a set of false teeth. And false nails! Get me false nails..." Tony continued completely ignoring him. "And, eyelashes? Can you buy those? If you can I need a set... Oh wait! Clothes! Cap, how tall are you?" He said, rounding on Steve. Taken aback, Steve faltered for a moment.

"Um... about six three. Why?" He stammered. Tony stepped up to him so that they were inches away from each other and stared Steve directly in the face for a few seconds, comparing their heights.

"Yeah, that's about right. Get me a suit that would be the right size for him if he was... slighter. Know what I mean?" He said, turning back to Pepper. Writing fast, Pepper nodded.

"Any... particular colour?" She asked, tentatively. Tony pinched his thumb and forefinger at the bridge of his nose for a second as he considered. After a moment...

"Blue. Dark blue. That would work. Oh! And polymer rubber! LOTS of polymer rubber. Got it?" Pepper nodded (too stunned to talk) and Tony spun on the spot to go back the way he'd come. "Nice seeing ya, Cap!" He said, giving Steve a slap on the shoulder as he walked by. "Jarvis! You there!" He called as he neared the elevator.

"As always, sir." Came Jarvis's calm reply.

"Good! I'm gonna need you to send me a turnable render of your head. Can you do that."

"Couldn't be simpler."

"Right. Do it. And meet me in the hanger." Tony said as he entered the elevator. The doors purred closed leaving Pepper and Steve alone in the room together. There was a long, shocked pause.

"Is he doing what I think he's doing?" Steve asked, dumbfounded. Pepper looked from the closed elevator doors to the envelope in her hand.

"Well... I'd better go shopping." She said, quietly.

Over the next few days, Tony was locked away, working on his newest "project". The builders were working double time on the Stark tower having been shouted at by Tony to "work their asses to the bone" because he wanted them "cleared out as soon as humanly possible so that he could work better". For now, most of Tony's work was being done in the suits hanger. He had had the presence of mind to shower and wash his hair since his little eureka moment and he had shaved since then too. He still had the dark circles under the eyes, though, purely because he seemed to want to work twenty four seven and barely slept.

Bruce was called in one day to help and turned up, completely unaware of what Tony needed him for, having just been told that Tony had a little science project he might be interested in.

Bruce walked down the corridor to the hanger and, even before he reached the door he could hear Tony gabbing away to Jarvis who responded simply and to the point.

"No way is that right Jarvis! You sure you didn't make a miscalculation somewhere?"

"Those are my measurements, sir."

"Hm... taller than I remember. Didn't I come to about," he put his finger to a point on the crudely assembled frame a, good few inches above his head "here?"

"Do remember this is merely a framework, sir. The actual limbs will eventually be locked together, reducing my height.

"Alright, point taken." Tony said, slightly sulkily. Just then, Bruce walked into the room and Tony, upon hearing his footsteps, turned his swivel chair to face him. "Heyyy! There's my favourite science bro!" He said.

"Hey, Stark. How you doin'?" Bruce said, his moderate tone a sharp contrast to Tony's adolescent loudness. He shook hands with Tony, roughly. "So what're we working on?" Bruce asked, putting his hands in his pockets and looking at the frame behind Tony where the suits would usually be during assembly.

"Well, putting this in the most rudimentary terms I can, I am making a person." Tony replied, proudly.

"Namely _me_, Mr. Banner." Jarvis added.

"Ah right. So, an android?" Bruce offered. Tony inhaled deeply and bit the inside of his lip for a moment.

"No." He said, as calmly as he could. "I am making a _person_." He repeated. There was a somewhat steely edge to his voice and Bruce, realising he'd touched a nerve (and knowing how dangerous that was, even for someone without the "hulk syndrome") clapped his hands together.

"Right. So, what do you want me to do?"

"I need you on nervous system and cardiovascular system. I've got skeleton and musculature."

"Oh great. I get the fiddly stuff." Bruce joked.

"I'm going to be adding an arc reactor so leave space for that, OK, Green Giant?" Tony added, clapping him on the shoulder.

"Well, if you're adding an arc reactor, why am I making a heart? Why not just run it off that?" Bruce asked, slightly confused.

"Because I want him to be warm, I want him to have a heartbeat, I want it to speed up when he's angry and slow down when he's asleep, I want to make the most perfect recreation of a human being since the creation of the _actual_ human being." Tony said. The passion with which he said it inspired Bruce. He'd never known Tony to be so dead set on something since the Iron Man suit itself and it was infectious. Now _he_ wanted this too. He nodded.

"Right." He said in awe, a smile spreading across his face. "What are we waiting for? Let's do this."

So they did. The two of them spent every waking moment that they could, working on Jarvis's body. Jarvis himself was in charge of his actual appearance in terms of hair and eye colour and skin detail. He also had the polymer rubber outer skin shaped to perfectly replicate his actual features. This is why, one evening, Bruce had left and Tony had walked back down to the hanger to have a look at the newly modelled head (the outer skin of it anyway).

"Sir, I recommend that you do not view the head until it is complete." Jarvis warned Tony as he walked down the corridor, his smart shoes making a low clacking noise as he walked that echoed off the corridor walls.

"Why?" Tony asked. "It's not gonna explode. What's the problem?"

"I fear you may be unprepared, emotionally, sir. It is yet to be painted or have the hair implanted."

"Jarvis, honey, you worry too much." Tony said in his usual, throwaway tone that he used when Jarvis was concerned. "I'll be fine. I just wanna see it."

"As you wish, sir." Jarvis said, quietly.

As it turned out, however, Jarvis was right. Tony walked over to the sculpting chamber and clicked a button on the right of it to turn on the light. The compartment behind the glass screen lit up, revealing a perfect rendition of Jarvis's head. It was laid over a featureless, metal, head-shaped globe to keep its shape and there it sat, a deathly, greyish white with no hair and no smile, the eyes closed and the mouth slightly open. It looked exactly as though the Jarvis that Tony loved had been killed and had his head severed and impaled. Tony started and immediately switched the light off. He turned and grabbed his swivel chair and sat down with a thump, attempting to calm himself. He shook and stared into space for a few seconds, the image of Jarvis's lifeless head scorched across his mind.

"I did try to warn you, sir." Jarvis said, gently. Tony nodded, still in shock.

"Yeah. Thanks. I'll remember that next time." He said, shakily.

Weeks later and the building was finished (all but the "Stark" sign which Tony couldn't be bothered to attend to at present). Tony and Bruce moved some of their equipment upstairs so that they had more space to test and try. The main bulk of the constructing remained in the hanger but the finer details took place in the living area on the top floor.

"Look at that, Jarvis. A person really can be in two places at once." Tony remarked one day as he was working on Jarvis's eyes in his living room while Bruce wired up his arms to the complex nervous system he had devised for him down in the hanger.

"Very droll, sir." Jarvis replied. "You might say I am in three places at once, currently, sir. The hair implanting on the outer skin is underway." Tony looked up at the computer screen.

"You've done the paint already?" He said, surprised.

"Yes, sir."

"And you didn't tell me?"

"I apologise, sir, but I thought it best after the events that arose before." Tony put a pen in his mouth and held up one of Jarvis's newly assembled eyes.

"Alright. Good point." He said around the pen, studying the point where the synthetic optic nerve protruded.

"With the same thought in mind, sir, I recommend that Dr. Banner fixes the outer skin in place." Tony took the pen out of his mouth and twirled it in his fingers as he thought about this. Jarvis stayed silent. Tony tried to imagine what the operation would entail and shuddered.

"Alright. Agreed." He said, shortly, and turned his attention back to the eye.

"Very good, sir." Jarvis said.

Eventually the day arrived. The body was fully constructed and wired, teeth, eyes, hair and nails had been fixed in, the outer skin was painted and in place. The clothes had been put on and buttoned or zipped up, save for the shirt which lay open, the place where the arc reactor was to be put exposed. The body lay on a table top in Tony's living area with its eyes closed and its face expressionless. Everyone stood around him while Tony prepared to put the last piece in place. As well as Pepper, Bruce and Steve, Thor, Clint, Natasha and even Nick had turned up to witness the birth of Jarvis. Tony held the arc reactor up as though toasting with a glass of wine.

"Happy birthday, Jarvis." He said with a smile.

"Should I give the speech now or later, sir?" Jarvis joked and Tony sniggered.

"Brace yourself, buddy." Tony said... and linked up the arc reactor. There was a pause for a couple of seconds as the arc reactor connected to Jarvis's computer chip in his synthetic brain. Everyone held their breath. The atmosphere was so thick with anticipation that you could almost see the air vibrating with it. Then, suddenly, the body came alive. The eyes snapped open and he gasped, his head lifting off the table slightly. Instantly a cheer went up around the room, none more loudly than Tony and Bruce. The only one not cheering was Thor who stood with his arms crossed, completely bewildered as to why this was such a big deal.

Panting slightly from the shock, Jarvis turned his head and looked at Tony with a smile. Tony grinned and reached forward to pull Jarvis into a sitting position.

"I did warn you to brae yourself." He said. "Well, say hi to the guys."

"Hello, everyone." Jarvis said, testing his speech. He grinned and his blue eyes sparkled. He was finally alive.

**Author's Notes:** _Slightly more hope at the end of this chapter than the last. Ha ha. Hope you all liked it. As ever, any and all reviews are very much appreciated so go ahead. Hit me. I don't really have a plan for the story. I'm just kind of making it up as I go along. Best way, I feel. So far this fic has been 'A.I. Artificial Intelligence' meets 'I, Robot' (with a little bit of 'The Matrix' thrown in at chapter 1). Let's see where chapter 3 takes us..._

_A few little pointers. _

_**1**. "Science bro" Yes. I HAD to get another pairing in there somewhere or at least make a reference to one. Ha ha. I don't ship them AT ALL but I wanted to make the Avengers slash fangirls pee themselves for my own amusement. Pah ha ha! I'm evil, I know. :)_

_**2**. Rewatched 'Iron Man' today and I spotted something that made me spaz-out on my sofa. There's a moment when Jarvis really does and really obviously flirts with Tony. There's a moment when Tony comes in and says "Jarvis! You up?" and Jarvis responds "For you, sir, always." Now tell me that's not flirting! Really now! I tell you, my slashometer was going CRAZY!_

_**3**. "Jarvis, honey..." again, a reference to the movie. When Jarvis begins the paintwork on the suit, Tony gets up to go out and, as he's going, he says "Don't wait up for me, honey." so I thought I'd add this in as a quirky little nod to the movie._


	3. Chapter 3

**Author's notes**: _Well, guys, to all of you who have reviewed, favourited and followed this fic so far, thank you all SO SO SO MUCH! I'm rather amazed and honoured that people like this story enough to do that and I will endeavour to do my best to continue it as long as I can for you. Thank you all so much once again! This is kind of a trip for me :D_

_So, here we are on chapter 3. I only finished chapter 2 this morning. Ha ha. I slept 2 hours last night, had a double shift at work, haven't eaten in 20 hours and then decided it would be a fabulous idea to tank myself with sugar, caffeine and alcohol (a couple of malibu and cokes) so my energy levels are all KINDS of fucked right now. But, you know what, I think better when I'm tired and running on sugar. I have the nervous energy to type reams of stuff but I'm tired enough not to criticize anything I write or keep deleting bits. Let's see how this works out for me tonight... Chapter 3, everyone!..._

Chapter 3

Jarvis sat on Tony's desk naked from the waist up with an almost military stillness as Tony checked him over. He pulled out one of Jarvis's arms and studied his joints, moving his arms and listening for whirs and clicks, he tested Bruce's nervous system by tapping Jarvis's body in several places, asking for confirmation that Jarvis could feel it and he also checked where certain features had been fixed in place such as the nails and teeth just to make sure it had been done properly.

"You needn't check my hair, sir. I saw to that myself." Jarvis said, his head forwards as Tony inspected the individual layers of his blonde crop.

"All newborns go through a check up, Jarvis, so suck it up." Tony muttered. "Ah! There! See!" He said, having spotted a hair that had been implanted at both ends, creating a bizarre loop. "Not as perfect as you thought, huh?" He plucked it out, smartly.

"Ow!" Jarvis complained.

"Oh, sorry, honey. Was I a bit rough?" Tony smirked.

"I've come to expect that around you, sir." Jarvis said in a resigned manner. After a few moments of checking Jarvis's hair, Tony straightened up and said,

"Right. I'm gonna do something very cruel, Jarvis."

"What's that sir?" Jarvis asked.

"Give me your hand." Tony said and Jarvis did as he was told. Swiftly, Tony brought out a pin he'd had concealed in his own hand and jabbed Jarvis's palm.

"Ah!" Jarvis exclaimed and Tony winced apologetically.

"Sorry." He said. "Right, let me see." Jarvis clenched his fist and held it to his chest, defensively with a hurt expression. Ah! Pain memory response (now _there_ was a scene straight out of 'A.I.'!). "Jarvis, I'm not gonna do it again. I just wanna see." Tony said, reassuringly. Slowly, Jarvis unfurled his fingers and held out his palm. Relearning trust too! Bruce really had worked miracles with his physical response circuits. Tony studied Jarvis's hand. A dot of synthetic blood oozed from the pin prick in the polymer. Tony watched and waited.

"May I enquire as to what you are looking for, sir?" Jarvis asked. Tony held up a hand to silence him.

"Wait. Any minute now..." he said, watching Jarvis's tiny wound like a hawk. You couldn't help but be impressed with the detail that had gone into Jarvis. He even had fingerprints! After a few seconds of intense concentration, Tony saw what he was looking for. A self-solidifying fluid had filled the minuscule hole and hardened and the pin prick healed over. "Yes!" Tony shouted, triumphantly.

"That one astounds even me, sir." Jarvis remarked with genuine surprise in his voice. Tony clapped his hands and whooped.

"Of course, that only really works for things like pin pricks, paper cuts. You take a fall on broken glass, Jarvis, you come see me, got it?" He said.

"Understood, sir." Jarvis nodded.

"OK. Right..." Tony said, bending down and placing his hand under Jarvis's chin and tilting his head upwards. "Both optics working OK?" He asked.

"I believe so." Jarvis replied. Tony covered each of his eyes in turn.

"Both the same?" He asked.

"Yes, sir." Jarvis answered. Tony nodded and took his hand away and just took a moment to look at him. There was a pause as they stared at each other, blue eyes and brown. Sunlight shone through the huge window wall and shone gold on both their faces. Tony realised again how beautiful Jarvis was. His face was dutiful, yet innocent, his skin was flawless with a very delicate spray of freckles and his blond eyelashes gave his kind eyes a softened look. Jarvis smiled, slightly and Tony wondered what was going through his mind. "Sir..." Jarvis began.

"Whatever it is, Jarvis, just do it." Tony said, shortly, his expression unchanging. Jarvis reached a hand up and round the back of Tony's neck. Tony closed his eyes and his mouth opened in a slight sigh. This was the first time since being logged into Jarvis's mainframe that he had experienced this and he'd forgotten how good this simple touch felt. Gently, Jarvis pulled Tony down to his level and met his lips with his own.

Tony's eyebrows knitted slightly and he put his hands on Jarvis's bare shoulders. Jarvis felt so vulnerable like this that when he reached up to put his free arm round Tony as best he could from his position on the desk, Tony couldn't help himself. He leaned in and wrapped both arms round Jarvis, protectively, running a hand up his back to drag his fingers through his hair. His hand stopped there, holding Jarvis in the kiss, giving himself up to it completely. Almost imperceptibly, Tony's thumb stroked Jarvis's head. Even Tony himself may not have realised he had done it. After a few seconds they broke and rested their foreheads against each other, both smiling, Jarvis naively and Tony with a slightly devilish air. Tony stroked Jarvis's hair and Jarvis's eyes closed, his blond eyelashes stroking his cheeks and his endearing smile still playing around his lips.

There was a beeping sound and a slight rumble as the elevator moved. Tony looked up, his expression changing completely in a split second.

"Shit. Pepper." He said, quietly. Jarvis's smile vanished and he looked round to the elevator as Tony straightened up and readjusted the collar of his shirt which had rucked up slightly.

"Considering the nature of yours and Miss Pott's relationship, I suspect she would strongly disapprove of our... _compatibility_, sir." Jarvis summed up. Tony was still staring at the elevator doors.

"You're not wrong." He muttered as the elevator doors slid open. He turned his head and looked down at Jarvis. "I'll deal with it." He said, out of the corner of his mouth as Pepper strode in.

"Good afternoon, mister Stark." She smiled with a coy raising of one of her eyebrows. She pushed herself up on the balls of her feet and pecked him on the lips then strode past. "Hi, Jarvis." She said, cheerily.

"Good afternoon, Miss Potts." Jarvis replied, politely. Trying desperately not to react, Tony closed his eyes momentarily (more out of guilt that anything else) and did his best to smile. He avoided looking at Jarvis. How the hell was he going to deal with this one? Sweet Pepper. He didn't want to hurt her but the closer he got to Jarvis, the less he felt for her and he knew there would come a time when she would pick up on that. She'd been here almost as long as Jarvis had and stayed loyal, even during the months he was held in captivity. ...But he had to do it. And he had to do it soon. They hadn't been together for very long and he hoped she would take it well. He knew he drove her crazy. Maybe that could be an arguing point.

"OK." Pepper said that night. The two were standing in Tony's dimly lit bedroom.

"I'm sorry, what?" Tony said, staring at her.

"I said "OK", Tony. If I'm honest, I barely saw you anyway and, when I did, you would always be talking about Stark tower or the other guys or what mission you were going on next. OK? It was very rarely about us. And on top of that you drive me crazy! If you're not almost killing yourself, you're out partying or down in the hanger working on science projects," She threw him a meaningful look. "I was going out of my mind and, seriously, if you hadn't have done this, I think I would have done it myself. So you've just saved me a job." Her voice remained calm as she said this and Tony just watched her, guilt spreading through him like poison. She paused. "So, it's OK." Pepper said quietly and as reassuringly as she could. She put a hand on his cheek and Tony broke eye contact with her, looking downwards at the floor. "Really, I think it's better this way."

"I'm sorry, Pepper." Tony whispered.

"Don't be." Pepper replied. "Will that be all, Mr. Stark?" She said, quietly.

"That will be all, Miss Potts." Tony said.

With that, Pepper gave a benign smile and walked out of the room with dignity. Tony felt as though she had just died and sat down on his double bed, feeling a great void where she used to be. Yes, he had wanted to break up with her but, still, something had ended and he still felt the pain. He rested his head in his hand as sadness washed over him.

Pepper herself had walked out onto the balcony of Stark tower. She stood, looking out over the city, the wind pulling at her hair. The city was really rather beautiful at night, all lit up. How many times had she been standing somewhere high with Tony just to look at it? It was one of those little things that she would miss most about the relationship that she'd just walked away from. She swallowed and a tear ran down her cheek.

"Miss Potts..." Said a gentle voice behind her. Pepper turned to see Jarvis a few feet behind her.

"Oh. Hi, Jarvis." She said, sniffing loudly. She tried to smile but the grief was still evident on her delicately featured face. "Body working out for you?"

"Miss Potts, I'm sorry for what just happened between you and Mr. Stark." Jarvis said. Pepper shook her head and wiped her face with her hand.

"No. It's OK. I knew deep down it wasn't right. I just wanted to pretend for a little longer." She sobbed quietly and her head dropped. Jarvis pulled a sympathetic face and put a hand on her shoulder. She turned her head but didn't look at him. "It's you he wants, isn't it, Jarvis?" She said. "I mean, I'd have to be pretty stupid not to guess after he was so down and distant and you were on mute then, all of a sudden, he's worked out he can make you a body and he's the happiest I've seen him in months." Jarvis removed his hand from her shoulder.

"Do you hate me, Miss Potts?" He asked, quietly. "I understand completely if you do." Pepper turned to face him.

"No. I don't hate you." She said, looking up into his concerned face. "It's just... Oh Jarvis!" She sobbed and put her face in her hands. Jarvis reached out and held her to him, allowing her to cry against him. "Look after him. I want him to be happy, Jarvis, so promise you'll do that for me." She said, thickly.

"I will do my absolute best, Miss Potts." Jarvis promised. Pepper pulled away from him and he let her go.

"I'm leaving, Jarvis." She said. "I'm going to my parents' for a while to straighten things out in myself. I don't want you to tell him where I've gone, OK?" She said, giving Jarvis a serious stare.

"I understand, Miss Potts. Am I to keep your belongings in place for your potential return?" Pepper nodded.

"Yes. I'm not going to be gone forever. Just until this blows over." She pulled a strand of her hair out of her eyes and Jarvis nodded. "I'll leave as soon as I can. Don't worry about me, OK?" Jarvis nodded again.

"Wouldn't you rather leave in the morning and get some sleep first, Miss Potts?" He asked considerately. Pepper shook her head.

"No. I'm gonna leave now. I've got to go right now. If I hang around I'll just upset myself."

"I understand." Pepper gripped Jarvis's arm.

"I'm counting on you." She said, giving his arm a squeeze. She glanced in the direction of Tony's bedroom. "Make him happy." Jarvis nodded and Pepper smiled. She let him go and walked back inside, leaving Jarvis on the balcony. He watched her go as she walked into her own (old) bedroom and shut the door, no doubt to pack a few things. Even once the door was closed, Jarvis maintained his gaze.

"I'm sorry, Miss Potts." He said quietly, then turned to look out across the city.

**Author's Notes**_: Aw, man! How did I do that!? I never really liked Pepper and Tony together and now I feel SO BAD! I feel like I've actually split up an ACTUAL couple! I want to jump into my story and throw a bucket full of "Oh my God! I'm so sorry!" all over her! Buh huh! I'M SORRY, PEPPER! But, this is a Tony/Jarvis fic! I will remain loyal to that and, don't worry, Pepper fans. She will come back a little later all happy and smiley again so don't cry for her too much._

_By the way, did anyone take any notice of the front cover of this fic? I made it myself in photoshop. Take a look :) Also, this chapter was kind of short. Sorry. That just seemed the perfect place to end it for now. I'll write chapter 4 as soon as I can but I do have a double shift at work again and then a birthday party to go to so it may be a couple of days (aaaaand my energy goes down the Swanny once again...). Sorry. Stay tuned though. Will get it done ASAFP!_


	4. Chapter 4

**Author's Notes:** _Thanks for the continuing reviews, favourites and follows, guys. I really appreciate them. I know I said this last chapter but I still mean it. And, by the way, thank you to _** .rain**_ for the cookies and milk she (?) apparently gave me in one of the reviews. Ha ha :D _

_Also, I'm sorry this is so late coming. I've just started back at university and we already have assignments and shit to do so I've been kind of slow. I hope this chapter is worth the wait..._

Chapter 4

Morning. The sky was clear as Tony looked out of the wall window of his bedroom. He stood with his arms crossed and his brow furrowed as he mulled over the events of the previous evening. His, already unruly, hair stood up in odd places and he needed a shave but he couldn't be bothered. Today was Saturday after all. He gave a quick sniff and turned, looking instead into his bedroom and his bed which still lay with the duvet crumpled and twisted. Meh. He'd deal with that later. The same applied to getting dressed and he traipsed out of his bedroom in the blue plaid pyjama bottoms and dark grey T-shirt that he had slept in. When he reached the living area he looked up to see Jarvis over by the kettle on the far wall wearing a white T-shirt and matching bottoms (long). Tony smirked to himself. Six foot three, fairly broad-shouldered for his slight build with a scruffy crop of hair and he still managed to look like a woman. Tony let loose a quiet snigger and Jarvis turned.

"Ah, good morning, sir." He said, smiling, his usual polite manner unhindered by the early morning but with a slight note of surprise in his voice. "First time you've managed to sneak up on me."

"Well, get used to that, Jarvis." Tony said, still smirking. He had meant that it would be easier to sneak up on Jarvis now that he had eyes in his head and not all over the top floor apartment. However, Jarvis's reply came as something of a surprise.

"Is that a threat, sir, or a promise?" Jarvis asked, a smirk of his own playing around his delicate face, blue eyes twinkling. Tony raised his eyebrows.

"Oh, developing a more varied sense of humour?" He said. Jarvis sniggered.

"I learn from the best, sir. I've made you a cup of coffee." He digressed, holding out the cup.

"Thanks." Tony said, quietly, taking the cup and sipping at the hot contents. He looked at the circle of blue light shining through Jarvis's white T-shirt. "That working alright for ya?" he asked. Jarvis glanced down.

"I've barely noticed it so far, sir." He said, pulling his T-shirt collar down so that he could see the arc reactor properly. Tony got up on tiptoes and looked down Jarvis's top so that he could see too. Jarvis had a better idea. He released his collar and, instead, peeled his T-shirt off himself and let it fall to the floor. He stood their shirtless as Tony inspected him.

"Uh huh." Tony said. "Limbs still OK?"

"Everything is in working order, sir."

"You tell me if it starts to become a bother, right?"

"Understood, sir." Jarvis replied, smiling benignly. Tony nodded and turned to walk to one of the dark leather sofas as Jarvis retrieved his T-shirt from the floor and put it back on. Tony took a mouthful of coffee and picked up a newspaper that sat on a coffee table as he walked past. He sat down on a sofa, glanced at the front page, pulled a face and chucked the paper back at the coffee table he'd picked it up from. It didn't quite make it and slithered off the table to land in a heap on the floor. Tony pulled himself down on the sofa and crossed his legs, taking another sip of his coffee, abandoning the newspaper where it fell. There was a pause and he looked up at Jarvis who hadn't moved.

"For God's sake, Jarvis. At least _try_ to act human. C'mon. Come and sit down." Tony said. He wasn't exactly a morning person.

"I apologise, sir." Jarvis said.

"Don't apologise. Just do it." Tony said, rubbing a tired eye with his fingers. Jarvis sat down next to him and Tony held his coffee cup in both hands, having just remembered something. "Where's Pepper?" He asked.

"She decided it best that she left temporarily, sir." Jarvis informed him.

"Well, where'd she go?" Tony asked, looking round at him. Jarvis swallowed and his head dropped slightly. "Jarvis..." Tony said, in a warning tone.

"She requested for that information to be kept confidential." Jarvis said, quietly. Tony looked at him. There was a pause.

"Tell me." Tony said, shortly. Jarvis's head dropped further.

"I can't." He replied. Tony twisted on the sofa so that he was more square on to Jarvis.

"Jarvis, tell me, or so help me I will shut you down." He growled. Jarvis looked up at him, panic on his face. The only chip Jarvis had was in his skull for the moment until a copy could be made to make it possible for Jarvis to live "normally" and still be able to control the suits and things in the apartment. However, scared though he was, he was also loyal. He drew a shuddering breath.

"I can't... sir." He said, as levelly as he could manage. Tony snarled but Jarvis managed to hold his gaze. After a moment, however, Tony softened. Maybe it was the fear still etched on Jarvis's gentle face.

"Well," He said, somewhat grudgingly, "I guess I can't blame her for going." He took another mouthful of coffee and looked over at Jarvis. "Tsk. C'mere." He said, reaching out. He put his arm round Jarvis's shoulders and pulled him to him. "I was kidding, OK?" He put a hand on Jarvis's head and stroked his blond head with his thumb as he drained the last of his coffee and set the mug down. He turned his head and sighed into Jarvis's hair and Jarvis put a tentative hand on Tony's torso, a quiet smile lifting one corner of his mouth. They stayed like that for a couple of minutes, just enjoying their privacy and each other's company for the moment.

Tony pulled his cheek away from Jarvis's head and Jarvis, inspecting the reason for Tony's leaving, looked up, blue eyes twinkling as they reflected the morning sunlight streaming in through the huge window. Tony was simply looking at him, oddly quiet.

"Sir...?" Jarvis said, enquiringly. Tony didn't say anything but pulled Jarvis into a kiss. Jarvis's eyes closed.

Something about Pepper's leaving was reassuring to Tony. Now that she had gone he wouldn't have to worry about his displays of affection towards Jarvis and wouldn't end up hurting her (any more than she was, anyway). Tony put both hands either side of Jarvis's face and Jarvis's hands soon found Tony's upper arms. Something suddenly made Jarvis very daring and he lifted himself up and onto his knees on the sofa beside Tony. Now Tony was having to crane up into the kiss and Jarvis was bearing down on him. He didn't really understand what made him do it, being, essentially, a machine but he had observed humans enough not to question it. _They_ never did. Jarvis ran a hand up Tony's shoulder, up his neck and raked his fingers through his dark hair.

Tony gave a slight moan and one of his hands left Jarvis's face and, instead found his back. His fingers tensed, fingers curling and nails digging in slightly through the thin, white T-shirt. The effect this simple move had on Jarvis was to make him pull away in surprise, his breath catching. That's what such a small movement did to a person? It had felt pleasantly like electricity running through his body from the point the nails had made contact. Tony looked up at him and couldn't help chuckling at Jarvis's shocked expression.

"A little sensitive, huh?" He said, grinning. Jarvis tried to talk but nothing came, his mouth working awkwardly. Tony snorted. "Try this one on for size." He said, and dragged his nails down Jarvis's back. The same sensation as before, but intensified ten-fold, shot through Jarvis, making his back arch, his head falling back so that he was looking at the ceiling (or at least _would_ have been if his eyes hadn't rolled back in his head). His mouth opened and he drew a sharp breath. Tony grinned. It was funny really how much Jarvis knew about humans and yet, at the same time, knew next to nothing. Something seemed to overcome Jarvis and he put a hand at the back of Tony's neck, pulling him roughly into the kiss again.

Tony giggled slightly and just allowed Jarvis to continue as he pushed him down on the sofa, a pale hand on the back rest to hold him stable. Tony grinned inwardly and decided to further test Jarvis reactions. He found the bottom of the T-shirt and ran a hand up Jarvis's body. Jarvis broke away and shuddered, inhaling through his teeth, his eyes closed and his eyebrows knitted. He looked down at Tony beneath him, who grinned wickedly, something flashing in those dark eyes. He flicked a nail over one of Jarvis's perfectly moulded nipples. And, finally, a sound! Jarvis issued a short but strangled moan, his whole body jerking with pleasure and shock. Jarvis fell on his master, kissing him and Tony couldn't help himself. He started to laugh. Jarvis pulled back and looked at him, slightly hurt.

"Am I that inferior, sir?" He asked. Tony took a breath and tried to compose himself.

"No. No, you're not. I just..." He giggled again and Jarvis pushed himself backwards so that he was kneeling. Tony hauled himself up into a seated position, still laughing. "I'm sorry." Tony said. "I just didn't consider how sensitive you'd be." Jarvis sat down properly and looked away. Feeling a small pang of guilt, Tony rolled forwards so that he was a breath away from Jarvis and put an arm round his shoulders. "Look, let's go again. I promise I won't laugh." He grinned. Jarvis bowed his head and gently pulled Tony's arm from around him.

"Sir... I think the phrase "the moment has passed" would be appropriate in this situation." He said, quietly. Tony pulled a face and fell back against the back of the sofa. Jarvis was always so precise and polite! It was sickening sometimes. But still... Tony reached out a hand and tweaked Jarvis's white T-shirt. Jarvis was sitting forwards, leaning his elbows on his knees and he looked around at Tony's touch. One corner of his mouth lifted in a slight smile but it was decidedly downhearted. Tony mimicked this and rubbed the android's back.

"Sorry." He said, simply. There was a pause for a good minute as the two remained seated on the sofa. After a few moments, Jarvis spoke.

"Sir, I overheard Mr. Barton saying that the Avengers are in need of a headquarters." Tony ran a hand through his hair.

"So?" He said, not really interested.

"I thought it may be appropriate to use Stark Tower, sir." Jarvis said. Tony gave him a withering look.

"No." He said, shortly.

"Sir, there is space enough for everyone to have their own floor." Jarvis reasoned, calmly.

"No, Jarvis!" Tony argued. "I am not sharing my house with those guys. Work, sure. But, living together? A little intimate, don't you think?" Uncharacteristically, Jarvis gave a slight smirk.

"Are you scared that you may be attacked, "intimately" as it were, sir?" He looked round at Tony and Tony raised his eyebrows.

"Well look who grew a sense of irony." He said, surprised.

"As I said, I learn from the best." Jarvis smiled round at Tony, something behind his blue eyes. Tony grinned back and pushed himself forward to twine an arm round Jarvis's waist and murmur in his ear.

"You know, I'm pretty good at other stuff too. Want to learn some more?" He said, getting daring. Jarvis, however, tilted his head away.

"Sir, I really think it would be in the Avengers' best interests to use Stark Tower as headquarters. You would hardly see each other. There are floors with space for apartments for all of them." He said. Tony groaned.

"Ugh! Fine! That's what will make you happy, huh?" He said, resigned. Jarvis looked at him and smiled.

"That's what would make me happy, sir." He replied.

"Whatever! Hell with it! Done deal! OK?" Tony said. Jarvis smiled and nodded. "Thank you!" Tony said and kissed him. Jarvis closed his eyes and dragged his fingers through Tony's hair. Tony pushed him back on the sofa and stroked a hand up the side of Jarvis's body. Suddenly, Tony stopped and looked down at Jarvis. "Oh my God! You bitch!" He said. "You did that on purpose." Jarvis had a slightly devilish glint in his eye and he smiled up at Tony.

"I learn from the best." He whispered. Tony gave a disbelieving laugh.

"I gotta watch my back if you're going to get all smart on me." He said and dived down into the kiss once more.

**Author's notes:**_ Ha ha ha! Cliffhanger! How far did they go? I was thinking about leaving sex as more implied than anything else but, what do people want? Shall I up the age limit and include actual sex or should I just suggest it? (They're going to shag at some point either way but I want to know how much people want to read)._

_Also, I am so sorry this is so late! I just started back at uni and, honestly, I haven't had time to so much as cough lately. There may be some sizeable gaps in the chapters from now on and I apologise for that in advance but, stay with me. I promise I'll do what I can when I can. (Currently writing this at 1:14 in the morning. Lol_

_One last thing, one of my watchers on Deviant Art actually made fanart for this fic! Their name is _**rcsi1**_ and they did a fantastic picture of mainframe Jarvis from the first chapter. It's entitled "Pixels" so go and check it out :). Thank you so much for that! I love it :D_


End file.
